The original brick cottages on “Little” Summer and Union Streets were built in the 1870s by English immigrant Lydia Cox, who was inspired by the village architecture of her native land. Intended as a workmen’s neighborhood, “Coxtown” is now a secluded and delightful mixture of the original cottages interspersed with turn-of-the-century wood frame houses. The cottages, for the most part, belong to the Italianate architectural style, with their rounded windows and front gables. This section of Buffalo usually comes as a shock to visitors, many of whom had never known that the neighborhood existed.

Named after the world-famous Kleinhans Music Hall, this area is a semi-circular cluster of gardens fronted by Symphony Circle and the Eliel and Eero Saarinen-designed concert hall, built in 1940. The streets – Orton, Pennsylvania, Porter, Plymouth, Normal, St. John’s Place, Wadsworth, Hudson and Jersey – are filled with historic properties, ranging in date from 1850 to 1895. The public gardens of Symphony Circle are another highlight of the neighborhood.

Want to see more gardens today? Head over to Route 5 and travel along the lakeshore. Four more fabulous gardens await you there. Open from 5-8pm. See page 51 for these listings.